First Class info please for ALR 2016

[LeylandLen]

I am contemplating doing an ALR Rover soon when the evenings get lighter in April . I am a new user of a senior railcard ( that gives my age away) and am wondering about doing a First Class ALR .I know from experience, using the WCML to / from Preston , having used a advance First Class ticket from London that Virgin do offer food, free coffee, and alcohol (within limits). What do other TOCS offer for First Class? I assume Virgin East Coast also do food coffee etc.
TPE just seem to offer better seating with no add-ons. I would appreciate info on the southern based TOCS such as FGW, South West trains, Cross Country.
Also tempted to do the sleeper up to Inverness/ Fort William as it picks up in Preston. So what do Scotrail offer in First Class ?

 

[Iskra]

I am contemplating doing an ALR Rover soon when the evenings get lighter in April . I am a new user of a senior railcard ( that gives my age away) and am wondering about doing a First Class ALR .I know from experience, using the WCML to / from Preston , having used a advance First Class ticket from London that Virgin do offer food, free coffee, and alcohol (within limits). What do other TOCS offer for First Class? I assume Virgin East Coast also do food coffee etc.
TPE just seem to offer better seating with no add-ons. I would appreciate info on the southern based TOCS such as FGW, South West trains, Cross Country.
Also tempted to do the sleeper up to Inverness/ Fort William as it picks up in Preston. So what do Scotrail offer in First Class ?

Complimentary Food Offering:

VTEC
VTWC
ATW Premier Service- one return journey from Holyhead to Cardiff. Only those two services per day have such a chef-cooked offering.
EMT- specific trains to London in the morning have a very nice complimentary breakfast- see their website.

Better Seat, plus tea/coffee/water/juice and snacks:

TPE
EMT (apart from aforementioned breakfast trains)
Scotrail
GWR HST services (some services have Pullmann dining which is a proper dining car with very good food but is at a surcharge and isn't cheap.
XC- additionally it does have a small onboard catering offering for long distance services, and they are trialling full meals on certain trains. See website for more details.
Grand Central
Hull trains

Better Seat Only:

London Midland
Gatwick Express
Chiltern- I believe they have a chargeable espresso bar onboard

As for the sleeper, it is no longer run by Scotrail. 1st class gets you a private berth rather than the possibility of sharing one, access to a station 1st class lounge with complimentary refreshments and showers. The train also has a lounge car with a chargeable bar and food service.

Those are my experiences on the above operators, if I haven't mentioned them, then I haven't travelled on that TOC so can't comment.

In my trip report thread you will find more details of some the above 1st class offerings, plus photo's: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=108357

 

[grumblingalong]

Chiltern you'd get a free tea/coffee on their "silver trains" in business class (1st). With us on Anglia you'd get free tea/coffee and snacks on the GEML London-Norwich only. Most other services offer better seats, excluding some branches operated by sprinter stock.

 

[Kite159]

I wouldn't put Gatwick Express into the Better Seat list

Maybe on the 442s, but on the new 387/2s there is no difference between standard & first class.

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For SWT, you get a better seat (and maybe a plug socket) and that be all, unless you are travelling towards London in the morning, when you get given a free tea/coffee from the trolley

 

[MrB]

Southeastern first class, as well as Southern, is just a guaranteed seat in peak times. Nothing else.

 

[LeylandLen]

Thanks for the relevant info .... I have looked at Virgins East Coast website to find out if the First Class ALR is valid in their First Class Lounges at stations,principally Kings Cross and Edinburgh . They list which tickets are available but nothing about rover tickets. Very nice menus on long distance trains ; I assume Edinburgh - KX trains have kitchen/ resturant cars ?

 

[tsr]

Southeastern first class, as well as Southern, is just a guaranteed seat in peak times. Nothing else.

Except on the 171s, which obviously have 2+1 seating, power sockets, reclining seats and so on, which on an ALR is perhaps especially worth noting where it's possible to be travelling out of London towards Croydon in the evening - for example, to a hotel slightly out of town - or if you want to do the Uckfield Line itself, which is well worth a trip on a nice day, and very much of historic interest if you know your stuff about the local lines.

 

[D6975]

The FC lounge at Paddington is well worth a visit.
Things like tea, coffee, water, cans, crisps, biscuits, fruit etc are available all day, what else is on offer depends upon the time of the day, but it's always pretty good.